DMT8EE - Love It!

So as a person with no honing experience, little space, and to be honest a lesser interest in honing, and a preference toward minimizing the time spent honing, and maximizing the time spent shaving, driving, reading, and/or drinking, I opted to setup with a DMT8EE and a Chinese 12k.

I arrived home today to find the box for the DMT proped against my apartment door, and was curious to try it out.

Rather than sacrificing one of the vintage razors I've spend the last fortnight polishing, I thought I'd get my eye in with an old, and very blunt victornox budding knife (used for grafting in gardening). The style of these knifes is that they are only beveled on one side, but the knife was in pretty bad shape, with the bevel being bent over to the 'blunt' side.

I was able to sand this off flush within about half an hour, which just left putting a bevel on the opposite side again. It was pretty slow going until I switched from a strict X-pattern to just making little circles up and down the length of the hone. This seemed to accelerate things, and I could actually 'feel' the blade getting sharper, and less gritty, as it seemed to suck down onto the hone more and more.

Although I wouldn't try shaving with it, it does now cut paper and electrical tape very easily, so I'm pretty happy with the DMT so far. I feel that for touching up a blade, it will be a nice hone, but am yet to test this on a razor. Perhaps tomorrow night...

I have 4 DMT Hones, The XX, C, E, and F. I use the XX and C for hone lapping basically. The E and F were suppsoed to be for knives and/or razors. I really don't use them. I don't like the scratch pattern they leave on the razors edge. I had the EE and sent it back. I couldn't tell one side from the other. If it wasn't for stamp on the side of the hone, I wouldn't have known. I assume 8000 mesh, is about 8k in grit...? So, it'd be a good razor hone. I don't hear anyone talking about them, your the first. So, I'm curious to hear how a razor turns out. Maybe there are other's out there being quiet, We'll see...

I had the EE for a bit, and some other guys have played with them too. Some really like them, others don't.

It definitely needs to be broken in before using it on straights, and doing that kinfe may have done the trick. I found the EE can be a pretty deep/aggressive cutter, especially for an 8k. The step up to the C12k may take some extra time as a result. But, I tried that progression, and it is totally doable. Just not my favorite.

Have fun playing, that's the key.

I own a D8EE and it's broken in. While the diamond particle size on that hone may be in the 8k range, due to the extremely aggressive cutting action of the diamonds and more specifically, I believe the deeper cutting the diamond particles are capable of (ie "scratch pattern), I don't consider it in the same class as a Norton 8k or Shapton glass stone 8k. The Norton and Shapton can give edges that I feel are possible to comfortably shave with. In a test shave, I found an edge stropped off the D8EE to be too harsh for me.

Chris L

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Originally Posted by ChrisL

In a test shave, I found an edge stropped off the D8EE to be too harsh for me.

Chris L

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I had the same experience. I also did not like the zero feedback on the stone.

Of the guys who got shaveable edges right off the 8EE, how much honing did this require?....might be asking how long a bit of string is...

I gave up on waiting for my Gold Dollar practice razor to arrive in the post, and decided to have a go on one of my vintage razors.

20 soft x-strokes, a shiny bevel had appeared, but the razor could barely cut arm hair. Another 20 strokes, and it could tear of clumps of long strands.

At this point I stopped, as a was worried that I may be changing the dimensions of the razor, and figured I could bring it the rest of the way on the C12k. Also I thought I would use a cheap, unlovable gold dollar to measure how much metal is really removed, and how much honing it would take to alter the perceivable dimensions of the blade.

I'm still happy with the DMT, but just interested to know what people perceive as "fast cutting", and how much "work" they find they have to put into bringing a blade to near shave-rediness (comfort aside).

I think you are approaching the use of the DMTEE differently from how most do.

It's not a hone to set the bevel, it's for refining an already set bevel. You got shiny steel right away simply because you removed the surface steel and exposed clean stuff underneith. If the razor was pulling arm hair after 40 strokes, it's a sign that the razor won't take much work, but it needs more for sure. Going to a higher grit hone won't help - if you don't have a good bevel you can polish that bevel all day long and still not get a good shave.

You won't change the geometry of a razor in 40 strokes on any hone, unless you go way under 1k. Yes, the DMTEE is very fast and aggressive for an 8k, but compared to a 1k it's neither of those things.

DMT's leave a deep scratch pattern, even the EE. It'll take a VERY long time to wear those scratches down on a C12k to the point where the edge isn't jagged and too rough to shave with.

The good news is that the EE cuts like a 4k but leaves something that resembles an "8k fineness", but not in the way we need on a razor. It's pretty good on knives though.

Be careful because they really devour steel.

You might have some luck going from the EE to an 8k-10k or barber's hone to clean up the edge and get it ready for the C12k and/or comfortable for shaving.

edit- + what holli said

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Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I had the same experience. I also did not like the zero feedback on the stone.

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I solved that problem! Spray the surface of the plate with water (tap water is fine), then just touch the pad of one of your fingers to the top of a dishwashing-liquid bottle (you know, where the stuff congeals) and transfer just a smidge of it onto the plate. Spread it around evenly, taking time to let it dissolve. There; that's all there is to it. You'll feel "at one" with it, and as the blade gets more refined, a good suction develops. Trust me, it works... well.

Old thread but here's my opinion.

I compared some numbers a while back and found that 8k mesh is much courser than 8k grit. More like 4k.

So if I were trying this setup I'd still follow with waterstones to smooth the edge.

Knives are a different animal.

IME the "8k" DMT is more like a 4k. YMMV.

i use my D8EE to set bevels and it was supposed to be broken in from dmt. it cuts to deep to use as a finisher at this time for me

I use dmt1.2k to set the bevel then i move to EE 8k mesh and then to a qualitya natural finisher.
Going from a EE to a slowC12K sounds like a bad combo.
If you have a good barber hone that can work as last step aswell

You really have.to break in them first. With water you get excellent feedback.

I.dont anywhere without my dmts. Best thing since sliced bread.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

IME the "8k" DMT is more like a 4k. YMMV.

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Nope. Maybe i can settle on 7k ;)